Online Personals Watch: News on the Online Dating Industry and Business

Dr Helen Fisher to Speak at LTR Edition 7

OPW - Apr 10 - Dr Helen Fisher is one of the world's leading anthropologists and has been Chief Scientific Advisor to Match since 2005. She was instrumental in the formation of Chemistry and it's compatibility profiling. Dr Fisher is a Senior Research Fellow at the Kinsey Institute, which focuses on sexuality, relationships and well-being. Noted author, Helen has written essential reads: Why Him, Why Her, and Why We Love.

Helen's TED talks have attracted over 20 million views. She's also a regular in the media. See her on Charlie Rose.

TOPIC: Interview - Internet Dating Science in the 2020s

LTR Edition 7 is on Thursday 15th April starting 11:30am EST (New York). If you hold a full time leadership role at an Internet dating company then you are welcome to join IDEA for free, and welcome to join LTR events for free. See the LTR Edition 7 overview, speakers and invite page here. Email mark@courtlandbrooks.com to RSVP for LTR. There are 80 places only.

LTR is kindly sponsored by RealMe, vPaaS by The Meet Group, Utopia Analytics, Tawkify, Real Gifts & Courtland Brooks.

The Cost of Finding Love Through Dating Apps

NEWSANYWAY - Apr 2 - Which app is the best value for money when it comes to finding a perfect match?

Tinder Gold (1 month) - £7.49 per month - The cheapest app, and the one that dominates the field, is Tinder. Generally speaking, Tinder is thought to be great for young people, especially those who live in big cities and are on the lookout for a more casual dating experience.
Hinge Preferred (1 month) - £19.99 - Hinge is generally targeted at 18–35 year-olds, but unlike Tinder, it's associated more for those who are looking for a serious relationship.
Bumble Boost (1 month) - £20.99 - Bumble still generally falls into the same category of being perfect for young daters who are looking for some flirty messaging and casual dating.
Match.com Premium (1 month) - £29.99 - Match.com is considered one of the more mature dating apps, although it is targeted at millennials and older generations alike.

See full article at News Anyway

See the top news on Tinder                       See the top news on Match.com
See the top news on Bumble                     See the top news on Hinge

Dating Apps Thriving Amid Pandemic

APN NEWS - Mar 23 - According to data by Finaria.it, the combined revenues of the top five dating apps globally hit $100M in January. As the most-profitable dating app, Tinder generated $64.6M in revenue that month. Tinder in-app purchase revenues skyrocketed by 250% in three years, jumping from $403M in 2017 to $1.4B in 2020. Bumble ranked as the second-most-profitable dating app, with $18.6M in revenue and 1.8M downloads in January. Bumble users spent $210M on in-app purchases in 2020, six times less than Tinder users. Hinge, Badoo, and Match followed with $8.4M, $5.1M, and $4.3M in revenue in January.

See full article at APN News

Prickett Jones, Kessler Topaz Tapped to Lead Match.com Suit

LAW360 - Mar 16 - Prickett Jones and Kessler Topaz edged out a team led by Andrews & Springer, Friedman Oster and Cohen Milstein on Monday to helm a stockholder challenge to the $30B spinoff of Match Group, Match.com's parent, from IAC on July 1, 2020. The lawsuit is accusing chairman Barry Diller and past and current Match directors of separating the two companies under terms unfair to investors and Match.

See full article at Law360

See the top news on Match Group
See the top news on Match.com

What Dating Apps Get the Most Press Coverage?

OPW - Mar 2 - We published 956 posts during last year on OPWS.news, featuring 257 dating industry brands. Here is who got the most press coverage on OPW.news.

1. Tinder (137 posts)
2. Match Group (96 posts)
3. Bumble (93 posts)
4. The Meet Group (58 posts)
5. Grindr (46 posts)
6. Hinge (40 posts)
7. OkCupid (39 posts)
8. PlentyOfFish (28 posts)
9. Match.com (27 posts)
10. Blued (18 posts)

See the full post at Courtland Brooks Blog

Match Gave Scammers, Predators Access to Dating Apps, Suit Says

BLOOMBERG LAW - Feb 28 - A Match Group investor sued current and former board members, claiming they failed to keep sexual predators off its dating apps and "knowingly capitalized on fraud" by letting "fake love interest" emails past scam filters. "Match.com had the ability to detect potentially fraudulent users and block their communications," and "it did, but only for a fee," the 167-page lawsuit says. "For non subscribers, on the other hand, Match.com used the fraudulent users to entice membership subscriptions."

by Mike Leonard
See full article at Bloomberg Law

See the top news on Match Group
See the top news on Match.com

Match Group Joins ODA

ODA - Feb 18 - Match.com, a Match Group brand, was a founding member of the ODA in 2014. The ODA exists to promote high user safety standards within the dating sector. Morgan Cauvin, Match Group's Head of Government Relations EMEA has been recently appointed Chair of the ODA.

See the top news on Match Group
See the top news on Match.com

Match Announces Rebrand That's Fit for Millennial Singles

ASKMEN - Feb 9 - Match is unleashing a more modern design for their 25-year anniversary. To pull off their fresh new look, Match partnered up with design company Collins for a total overhaul of the brand. Their goal in the refresh was to showcase Match as somewhat of a concierge for singles.

by Ashley Keegan
See full article at AskMen

See the top news on Match.com

How Match Group Grew to Dominate the Online Dating Market

BUSINESS INSIDER - Feb 2 - Match Group, which started as one lonely Stanford Business School graduate's attempt to build a less embarrassing way to find love online in the '90s, has turned into a titan that owns nearly every US dating site. Bumble, however, is conspicuously absent from Match's portfolio. Bumble's CEO, ex-Tinder executive Whitney Wolfe Herd, has a toxic history with the online dating group.

History of Match

• Match Group was founded in Feb 2009 after IAC decided to bundle all dating sites it owned.
• AC's initial purchase of Match.com dates back to the 1990s. Gary Kremen founded Match.com in 1995; he left in 1996 with just ~$50K.
• Ticketmaster bought Match.com in 1999 for $50M. Cendant Corporation bought the company a year earlier for $6M.
• During the 2000s, IAC chairman Barry Diller turned Match.com into one of the most successful online dating companies in the US.
• Jim Safka, a former ETrade and AT&T executive, took over as Match.com CEO in 2004.
• Revenue increased 68% between 2003 and 2006, going from $185M to $311M
• IAC acquired People Media for $80M in July 2009, with a combined 255K subscribers.
• 2011, Match Group acquired OkCupid for $50M.
• In January 2012, Hatch Labs, a startup "sandbox" launched by IAC to incubate mobile apps, hired Sean Rad as general manager. Rad worked with developer Joe Muñoz to create the prototype for Tinder. Jonathan Badeen and Chris Gulczynski were hired to help with front-end and design. Whitney Wolfe Herd was hired in May and Justin Mateen was brought in as a contractor. The app was originally called Match Box.
• August 2012, Match Box was renamed to "Tinder" and launched on Apple's App Store.
• By April 2013, Tinder officially incorporated, with Rad, Badeen, and Mateen considered the company's cofounders. Rad served as CEO.
• IAC later purchased another chunk of Tinder for ~$50M.
• In 2014, Wolfe Herd sued Tinder and IAC for sexual harassment and discrimination.
• In 2015, acquired POF for $575M, Match Group went public.
• By 2017, Tinder had merged under the Match Group umbrella.
• In 2018, Rad and nine other Tinder employees sued IAC, claiming IAC purposely undervalued the startup. The lawsuit sought $2B in damages.
• 2018, acquisition of Hinge.
• December 2019, IAC announced it was spinning off its stake in Match Group.
• Jan 2020, Match Group CEO of 14 years, Mandy Ginsberg, stepped down. Former Tinder COO Shar Dubey took over.

by Avery Hartmans & Allana Akhtar
See full article at Business Insider

See the top news on Match Group

Is AI The Future of Dating in 2021?

E27 - Jan 25 - When the first newspaper was published in 1690, it gave rise to the earliest ads. Among these were personal ads by bachelors searching for eligible wives. Fast forward to the cuffing season of 1965, when two Harvard students used an IBM 1401 to create the first computer-based matchmaking service, Operation Match. From there, the world's first online dating website, Match was launched in 1995. Dating websites have evolved into dating apps driven by algorithms and AI. When users first start using a dating app, their recommendations are almost entirely dependent on collaborative filtering, or what other users think. So, everything they click and interact with on a dating app is detected, tracked, and stored as part of a constant feedback loop. A newer (and more exciting) development in dating apps is their ability to recommend profile matches based on AI and machine learning. AI is the science of simulating intelligent behaviour in computers, enabling the latter to exhibit human-like behavioural traits like reasoning, common sense, and decision-making. For people using AI-powered dating apps, this means a higher chance at receiving quality matches, as opposed to endless swiping and filtering through unfavourable matches or fake profiles.

by Fabian Foo
See full article at E27

See the top news on Match.com
See all posts on Operation Match

O'Doul's & Match.com Partner

MARKETING DIVE - Dec 16 - O'Doul's and Match are partnering to offer Virtual Date Kits. O'Doul's is a non-alcoholic beer. The virtual date kits include limited-edition O'Doul's cans in Match's signature blue color, custom socks, a candle, dating conversation cards, a smartphone stand and a selfie light. In addition, Match is updating its app to include drinking preferences. As people sign up for a chance to receive a Virtual Date Kit, O'Doul's and Match can collect valuable consumer data.

by Chris Kelly
See full article at Marketing Dive

See the top news on Match.com

Single Seniors Excited for Vaccine so They Can Date Again

NEW YORK POST - Jan 11 - Helen Fisher, Ph.D., an anthropologist who conducts scientific surveys for Match.com, predicts that "seniors will be out in droves. They have been more cautious over the past year than their younger counterparts, but as soon as they're vaccinated they'll be out." According to Fisher, video chatting will remain commonplace as an important "vetting stage" before in-person dating. But, she added, "The brain is built to meet somebody in person. It's much more intense." Like everyone else, older singles are looking for "romantic love," she said.

by Suzy Weiss & Doree Lewak
See full article at New York Post

Match.com's Sneak Peek at 2021

OPW - Dec 11 -

See the top news on Match.com

Santa Cruz DA Seeks $10M From Match.com for Misleading Customers

THE MERCURY NEWS - Dec 4 - The Santa Cruz county district attorney's office is leveling consumer protection violation allegations against Match.com in a new lawsuit seeking $10M in penalties. "Match.com engaged in a pattern and practice of designing a signup and cancellation process intended to hook in consumers and make it difficult for them to extricate themselves from the contract," the District Attorney's Office release states.

by Jessica York
See full article at The Mercury News

See the top news on Match.com

The Devil & 2020 Go on a Date in a New Match Ad

BUSINESS TODAY - Dec 3 - Match.com released a hilarious ad which shows what happened this year was a result of the union of Satan with his hell bound lover '2020'. The ad saw a collaboration between Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Swift. Reynold's company 'Maximum Effort' created the ad along with Swift providing a re-recording of her super hit 2008 song 'Love Story' as the background music.

by Anshula Raj
See full article at Business Today

Mark Brooks: On so many levels, this is just pure brilliant. What a hoot! Dating TV advertising at its best. It's controversial, polarizing, resonant, colorful, memorable, and poignant.

See the top news on Match.com